HUA THIEN HUE — France will remain the main partner of the Hue festival, which will next be held in 2014, said Segolene Royal, president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council in France.

She recently signed a co-operation agreement with Nguyen Van Cao, chairman of Hue People's Committee. They both plan to promote co-operation projects in culture and tourism for the next festival.

Under the agreement, the Poitou-Charentes region will support Thua Thien Hue Province preserve its heritage and boost training of human resources in the tourism sector. It will also help the province develop ecological tourism by upgrading Hue traditional houses for homestay visits.

The Poitou-Charentes region has been the main partner of the Hue festival since 2000, when it was launched.-